Emperor Wuzhao of Later Qin

Emperor Wuzhao of Later Qin (331-394), born Yao Chang, was Emperor of Later Qin from 386 to 394, preceding Emperor Wenhuan of Later Qin.

Biography
Yao Chang was the twenty-fourth son of major Qiang chief Yao Yizhong, who was a general under Later Zhao's Emperor Ming of Later Zhao. His father submitted to the Eastern Jin after the fall of Later Zhao and died in 351, and Yao Chang and his brother Yao Xiang rebelled against the Jin. In 356, General Huan Wen of Jin defeated Xiang and captured cities that the Qiang held, and in 357 Yao Xiang was killed while attacking the Former Qin's lands in a trap. Yao Chang submitted to Fu Jian, who ignored the advice of his advisers and chose to spare him.

Yao Chang became a Former Qin general, capturing Jing Province alongside Wang Meng in 366 CE. In 373 CE he was made Governor of Ning Province after seizing control of western China from the Jin, and in 378 he captured the city of Xiangyang. In 383 the Later Qin lost the Battle of Fei River against the Jin, and in 384 Murong Chui rose up against the Former Qin, followed by numerous other uprisings against Fu Jian's rule. In 385 Yao Chang had Fu Jian strangled to death, and he declared himself Emperor of Later Qin, having made Chang'an his capital and defeated the other contenders for the empire of China.

As "Emperor Wuzhao", he competed against Di, Qiang, and Xiongnu invaders as well as Han Chinese natives for control of China, and he fought against Fu Deng of Former Qin and other Fu family members. Wuzhao conquered Western Yan's cities west of the Yellow River, but in 389 he lost many battles to Former Qin, so he believed that Fu Jian's spirit was haunting him and worshipped an image of Fu Jian, claiming that he only slew him to avenge his brother. Eventually, he sent Fu Jian's head to Fu Deng, but he warred with him continuously. At Dajie in 389 CE, he slew his sons Fu Bian and Fu Shang, executing Empress Mao of Former Qin after she cursed him when he asked her to be his concubine. In 392, an ill Wuzhao defeated an attempt by Fu Deng to take advantage of his illness with an invasion, and he died in 394.